Bridges
by The City Lights Shine On
Summary: Bella Swan has had to deal with losing two of the people she cared about most. That's why she won't – can't – let anyone inside, not even her best friends or her brother, Emmett. AH, B/E.
1. Can’t Turn Away

**A/N: Okay, here she is, the _supertopsecret _story. :) The title is a song by Lifehouse which I highly recommend you download/listen to. The chapter titles are lyrics to various songs, in this case, the song "Can't Turn Away" by the Plain White T's. Anyway, on with the story!**

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**Disclaimer:** I own a red iPod and this plot. So if you could try not to wrongfully sue me, that would be awesome.

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Chapter One – Can't Turn Away.

_I watched as the seven-year-old me fumed, arms crossed and my back to him where he played in the middle of the street. _

He's such a brat,_ my dream-self thought. As hard as I tried, I couldn't make her –myself– turn around and get him out of the street. I watched again in horror as the second I finally decide to turn around, a car came barreling down the street, right for where he was playing. I watched as little-me screamed in horror. _

"_TOMMY! GET OUT OF THE STREET! TOMMY!"_

_He just smiled up at me, a toothy little grin. The smile turned frightening, creepy – like he knew what was about to happen, but he really didn't care._

"_TOMMY!" I heard myself cry._

_He waved as I tried as hard as I could to reach him, pull him out, from the fate that already happened. _

"_Bella," he sang, whispering. _

_I was desperate. Then, just as he was about to get hit –_

_BEEP! BEEP! _BEEP!

I bolted upright, drenched in cold sweat. _Not the dream again_, I thought. I shook my head, trying to rid it of the lingering images. I welcomed the chill on my bare legs as I swung them over the bed, free of the blanket. Rushing so I could fully wake up, I grabbed my toiletries bag and went to take a cold shower. Towel-drying my plain brown hair as I walked into the closet.

I grabbed the usual – dark-blue jeans, a plain white t-shirt with just a logo on it and a light-blue zip-up hoodie, finished off with a pair of black ballet flats. All designer brands, of course, thanks to Alice; my personal stylist and best friend of 10 years, and room mate since grade 7.

Seventh grade was when we started going to boarding school; Anella Pacific Academy in California. Charlie was good friends with Mr. Cullen, so when Alice's dad decided to send both her and her brother to APA, he insisted that I go too, and not only that, but he also wanted to pay for it as APA is extremely expensive. Being a great surgeon, he was able to afford many luxuries. And Charlie was more than happy to let me and Emmett go.

Of course, I didn't realize how costly it was until she accidentally let it slip when we got to campus. The campus wasn't at all like a school campus. It had a huge mall with all kinds of restaurants: Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Italian, fast food restaurants too. The dorm rooms were also unbelievable. I got roomed with Alice and our other friend, Rosalie, my older brother Emmett's girlfriend. It was huge, three beds and three walk-in closets. The bathroom was right across the hall and all the classrooms were nearby, except for the gym. It was a work-out in itself to get to gym.

I plastered a fake smile on and sighed as I heard Alice impatiently knock quickly on our room door, I locked it with exaggerated slowness just to annoy her.

"Jeez, just come on already," she said exasperated when I was slowly walking down the towards where she was standing by the glass doors. She was wearing a plain brown shirt with a plain white T-shirt and flip-flops to match; something that she never did, she always went full out with fashion unless something was wrong. "Or I'll take you shopping tonight," she rose her eyebrows in an 'I'm-totally-serious-I-dare-you-to-doubt-me' look.

"Alright, alright. No need to be pushy," I smiled so she knew I was joking. I ran toward the door to not test her today. I searched her face for any sign that I was going to have to survive yet another shopping trip.

"Bella, what are we going to do with you?" she sighed.

I smiled. "_Not_ take me on a shopping trip?" I knew I was pushing my luck.

But she chuckled, "Okay, not tonight. But this weekend we need to. We're driving up to this cute little shop I found. Charlie already gave me the okay, so don't bother trying that one."

"Damn pixie," I mumbled under my breath.

"I heard that," Alice glared at me, mockingly. "Oh, and Bella? Happy Birthday." She raised one eyebrow daring me to continue annoying her.

My mouth hung open slightly and I was silent after that. Alice knew I hated birthdays, and even more so, what came with birthdays around Alice Cullen – birthday _parties._

"You're birthday party is this weekend, Saturday – it's also part of the reason why we're going shopping. It's already scheduled, so if you try to back out, well, you know what will happen." She grinned evilly.

She may be small, but she can put up one hell of a fight. I learned that the hard way; Never put on baggy, old sweatpants in front of Alice.

She was muttering under her breath as Edward, her brother, brushed past her shoulder roughly without so much as an apology. Her mood was already foul from her encounter with me this morning, and whatever made her upset in the first place. I felt for Edward, even if he was a jerk. A player-jerk with sexy untidy bronze hair and gorgeous emerald eyes. A player with a swoon-worthy crooked smile. Damn him and his sexy smile. He was too alluring for his own good.

Alice stomped over to her older brother while I stood there, knowing only trouble would come if I came between her and her brother. She looked furious with her hands on her hips occasionally poking him in the chest and her lips moving to fast for me to read. Edward seemed confused and angry, his eyebrow furrowed looking down on her. He ran a hand through his hair and said something, then pointedly looked at me and back to her. Her jaw dropped and she tried to slap him but he grabbed her hand and forced it to her side while saying something else. She threw her hands in the air and screamed something at him and stomped back to me, roughly grabbing my arm with a growled "come on," leaving him looking stunned and attracting attention of a few bystanders.

"So," I said cautiously, "do you wanna tell me what that was about?"

I looked at her from the corner of my eye when I heard her sigh. "Nope," she said sweetly, popping the p.

An awkward silence followed that, something that rarely happened with Alice around. I had a feeling that whatever Edward said and did upset her very much. And that really pissed me off. I mean, so what if he was her brother, he should treat her right, like the big brother he is. Like how Emmett treats me, being his sister. He shouldn't ever want to upset or hurt her. Silently fuming, I missed Alice's question.

"Huh?" I said stupidly.

She laughed, "I said, we have a sub today, so we're not doing anything in English. What do you want to do?"

"Oh," I was surprised, Mr. Russell never took a sick day. "Um, how about we play cards?" I pulled out my deck smiling.

"When are you going to learn," she giggled, "I _always_ beat you."

I giggled back, "Well, I'm feeling lucky today!" It was a little game we played; I pretended like I seriously thought I would win when I knew she would. It never failed in cheering her up, something it seemed like she needed now.

* * *

The day passed by quickly, and before I knew it, I was attacked by a huge bear hug behind me.

"Emmett!" I squealed as he spun me around.

"BELLS!" his roaring laughter brought attention to us.

"Emmett, please put me down," I whined when I got dizzy. He pouted but complied. I swayed slightly and Emmett pulled me into a booth at the nearest restaurant.

"Did you have the dream again today?" he asked when everyone but us went up to order. Of course he would be the only one to notice my fake happy attitude, we had that whole "twin telepathy" thing going on. Rosalie and Jasper, her twin brother, say that they had no idea what we were talking about, but they weren't as close as me and Emmett.

I sighed, "Yes."

He frowned slightly, a rare occurrence on Emmett's face, "Oh, Bella. I'm sorry." He hugged me.

"S'okay," I whispered, hugging him back. "You really don't have to do this every time."

"What're big brothers for then?" he smiled.

"You're a minute older! Only a minute, hardly my big brother," I teased him, knowing fully well that he was literally my _big_ brother. Emmett was huge. He had incredible bands of muscles wrapped around his arms and he played football. I think he played half-back or something. In sports, everything was the same to me, big guys tackled other big guys for an oval shaped ball into the goal-post things. I felt for anyone who had to deal with Emmett, having experienced his 'soft' side was bad enough.

Emmett sighed, suddenly serious again. "You know it's not your fault, Bella."

Everyone told me that. For ten years, everyone has been saying it's not my fault. I didn't believe them. How could I when it _was_ my fault?

"I just want the dreams to stop, Emmy." I knew I sounded like a little kid, but this was something that haunted me since I was a little kid. I leaned into his shoulder and sighed at the familiar, comforting smell of my brother. I had to admit, Rosalie was one lucky girl.

"Bella, if you want the dreams to stop, something has to change. Maybe you should get out more, date a little bit. Emphasis _little_." I giggled as he pulled on his big brother mode again. Sighing as I thought about it, I realized he was right.

Something has to change.

"I'll do anything, Emmett. I can't stand seeing him there, I'm so desperate."

"Seeing who where?" Alice asked with a twinkle in her eye. She thought I was talking about a _guy._ Alice didn't know about the accident. No one knew except for our family and Carlisle. And the people down in Phoenix.

"Um, nothing. Are those tacos?" Emmett pounced on them. I giggled and Rose rolled her eyes.

"Your big brother," Alice muttered. Em was too busy devouring his tacos to glare at Alice.

I grabbed one taco, not being very hungry, and picked at it, just staring at it and thinking about what Emmett said. When I looked up I saw Edward staring at me, curiosity and worry in his gaze. I stared back with interest, only breaking free when Jasper asked me to pass the sauce.

_Change, I thought. I need to do something different. I suddenly had an idea._

"Hey Alice," I started. She gestured for me to go on. "Want to do something tonight? I'm up for anything." I smiled.

She looked shocked, then she swallowed and smiled back. "Of course, have anything in mind?"

"Nah, anything you want to do, I'm up for."

She eyed me, looking for something to say otherwise. When she didn't find anything, she smiled.

"How about a house party? A friend of mine is having one and she doesn't live too far away…"

I smiled. "Perfect."

Oh yes, I was definitely doing something different. I must be really desperate for change if I'm going to a party.

But I'd do anything to get that dream as far away from me as possible. Anything.

_I can_'_t run, can_'_t turn away now.  
It_'_s all the same, nothing ever changes.  
The long days, the ten cent raises  
A few bucks in my pocket_'_s gotta go a long way.  
22, got my whole life ahead of me.  
but still, lettin_'_ life get the best of me.  
Gotta stop, and just leave it up to destiny now.  
I don_'_t know how much more of this I can handle  
But I know that good things  
Come to those who wait._

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**How'd you like it? Good? Bad? Lemme know! :3 Oh, and I've made a book cover for this so if** **you'd like to see it, just ask. Hehe, I don't bite!**


	2. Barely Breathing

**A/N: Chapter Two! I'm updating at like 2 AM. Seems like I do my best work at night. Eek! Well, I wanted to get this out there ASAP seeing as I got a pretty good response to yesterday's update. And, if you check Stephenie Meyers website, she posted the rough draft (I think) of Midnight Sun, so I'm currently reading that. Am I the only one out there who obsessively checks edwardandbella(dot)net and SM's website? haha.**

**The chapter title is by Duncan Sheik. It's an old 90's song. :)**

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**Disclaimer: **I own nothing relating to _Twilight_ but this plot. Don't sue me? :)

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Chapter Two – Barely Breathing.

_I can't believe I actually asked Alice to do something tonight. Of course she had to pick a party._

I was in our room, half my closet thrown carelessly on my bed trying to find an outfit. I had no idea what was important for a party, so that wasn't helping. I sighed, realizing that I had only one option if I didn't want to embarrass myself tonight.

"Alice," I called as she was listening to her iPod pretending not to notice my dilemma.

"Hm?" She asked innocently as she smiled sweetly.

I sighed again in frustration. "You know what I need, Alice."

She squealing and ran towards her closet, pulling out a dress and a pair of death-trap heels. I was shocked to find that the dress was nice, something I could see myself wearing. It was black and went just above my knees. It showed off curves I didn't know I had, and had a bronze colored metal circle where my cleavage would be, connecting to two straps that went at an angled, showing off my neck, then connecting to the back. Unlike the dress, though, the heels were and accident waiting to happen. They were pointy and black, the strap went around the back of my heel and had a pretty design on top. I found myself wondering how anyone could walk in them.

Nevertheless, I never argued with Alice when it came to clothes, or anything for that matter. She had an uncanny 'ability' to guess what would happen.

"Thank you, Alice," I smiled at her.

She giggled, "Anytime. Now go take a shower so I can do your hair and makeup!"

I pouted but went to take a shower anyway. I sighed as the warm water relaxed my muscles, releasing tension. My favorite strawberry shampoo and freesia body wash calmed me down even more. I stepped out and wrapped a towel around my body in time to hear Alice yell something at me.

"Bella! I'm coming in! I don't care if you're buck-ass naked in there! Dressing you will just be a whole lot easier that way," Alice's voice was outside the door before she opened it.

"Alice!" I squealed. I didn't think she was actually going to barge in here. She roughly handed me my clothes and said "Change," and left. Probably to get her torturing devices.

I pulled on the dress and Alice came back in. She pushed me out the door and sat me down in her desk chair, beauty supplies covering the desk. She quickly applied all kinds of things to my face. She then went on to my hair, curling it with a curling iron, every once and a while spraying hair spray. When I looked in the mirror, I was surprised to see that I liked my reflection. I didn't look at all like myself.

My makeup was subtle, yet... sexy. My eyeliner was smoky, my lips full and plump and light pink and I had a little bit of blush on my cheeks, not that I needed it. My hair was in gorgeous curls, shiny and cascading down my shoulders.

"Wow," was all I was able to choke out. The makeup and the dress on, I had to admit, I looked pretty. Normally, I had dull brown hair, big plain brown eyes, and a pale complexion. Alice truly did work miracles.

But, as always, compared to Alice, I looked plain. She had on a purple, black, gray, and white designed halter-top dress with matching purple peep-toe wedge-heels. She went for purple and silver for her eyeshadow. Only Alice would have been able to wear that makeup and look good.

Rosalie had perfect timing, deciding to walk in just then, wearing a black babydoll dress that went mid-thigh, with zebra print on her breasts, and a two strings tying around the back of her neck. She had on simple, practical black heels and her golden hair was waving delicately to the middle of her back. She looked perfect as always, with just mascara, eyeliner and lip gloss on.

She smiled warmly at me when she looked me over.

"You look beautiful, Bella." It did my self-esteem some good to know that she thought I was beautiful.

"Thank you," I bent my head down in embarrassment as my cheeks lightly flared.

She chuckled, "Truly, you do. Now come on! We have a party to go to!"

We drove to a house near campus. Saying house was an understatement. More like a mansion, or castle.

"Two of my friends, Tommy and Aaron, live here. You might know them? Tall, dark brown hair, bright blue eyes. They look like twins, but they're really three years apart. Tommy's a freshman, Aaron's a senior," she looked at me with a smirk on her face.

"You'll love them," Rosalie added with a giggle.

I sighed, getting out of the car. I didn't want to be set up by Alice again.

We were met at the door by two impossibly identical guys. The one that opened the door was just like Alice described, Tall, dark brown hair, and blue eyes. He had dimples on his cheeks and he smiled, showing off perfect teeth. His brother looked the same, only slightly taller with more muscles, and his face more mature.

"I'm Tommy, Tommy Hayes," said the first guy. I felt a pang at the familiar first name, but smiled, and shook his outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you Tommy," I turned to the guy next to him "So, then you're Aaron, right?"

He chuckled and took my hand with a murmured "yes" and kissed it. My mouth fell open lightly and I felt myself swooning. He was too cute. He laughed again and said "And who are you?"

It took me a second to remember my name. "B-Bella, Bella Swan" I stuttered. I had trouble breathing, he literally took my breath away!

"Nice to meet you, Bella. Come in," he laughed at my expression. _Get a hold of yourself, Bella!_

Alice still had that stupid smirk on her face. Rosalie just giggled, and went to find Emmett. I stuck with Alice as we went to find Jasper, but when Alice starts acting all lovey-dovey with her boyfriend, I leave. I found myself squeezed between two couples making out on the couch and got up to get a drink when Edward ran into me. He spilled punch on his dress shirt, which was luckily black, and swore.

"Jeez, Bella! Watch where you're going would you?" he yelled at me. He then eyed me in my dress and his mouth fell open.

Silently fuming, I yelled back at him, "_You _ran into _me_, Edward. And by the way, my _face_ is up here so stop staring at my legs!"

He tried apologizing, but I smirked and walked away, fully ready to leave, when I was pulled into somebody.

I looked up to find myself looking at Mike's face.

"Oh, Mike! Hey, I was just leaving…" I tried to say but he pulled my closer, suffocating me into his chest.

"Dance with me Bella," he slurred. His breath stunk, hitting me in the face making my eyes water. I just nodded and turned around, my back facing him, trying to dance. I didn't want to upset him. Who knew what a drunk Mike would do if he didn't get his way?

We did dance for a while while I felt someone staring at me. I ignored it and continued dancing. That is, until I felt Mike practically groping me from behind. Disgusted, I tried to pull away from him, but his grip on my waist was too strong. I was probably going to have bruises the shape of his hands there tomorrow. I whimpered, fearing what he would do.

"Mike! Let. Go!" I yelled. He just held on tighter. That is, until he was thrown into the wall by a furious looking Edward.

"Stay away from her, or I swear, if you ever touch her again…" he growled.

"What are you, her boyfriend or something?" Mike yelled angrily. Edward's jaw set as he answered.

"Yes. Actually, I _am_ her boyfriend." I stared at him in shock.

"Bella?" Mike questioned.

I looked at Edward, who was staring at me, and decided to play along. "Y-yeah, he's my boyfriend." I ducked my head so that he wouldn't be able to _see_ that I was lying.

He just huffed and stomped off. Edward followed suit and headed out the door, me trailing behind.

He sighed, "What do you want Bella?"

"What was that back there?" I asked referring to him saying he was my boyfriend. "Mike will probably tell the whole school that we're apparently dating! When we are clearly not, nor will we ever!"

A flash of hurt crossed his face before he said softly, "Just because we aren't a couple doesn't mean I don't care for you, Bella." I was stunned. Edward, caring about me?

I wished now more than ever I knew what happened this morning with Alice. Maybe she was upset that he cared for me? I shook my head. Who was I kidding? He didn't really care about me. He was just trying to make up for earlier. And Alice would only want the best for me.

"Bella?" he questioned.

"What," I snapped.

He opened his mouth to speak but seemed to change his mind and said "Never mind. Do you need a ride back to your room?"

In truth, I did need a ride, but I didn't want to go with Edward. He was a jerk.

"No, thank you Edward. I'll find a ride from someone else," and I walked back into the house. Walking back into the house, I tripped and braced myself for the fall only to find myself hovering over the ground, inches from it, with someones warm arm around my waist. I got up ready to snap a 'thank you' to Edward and saw stunning bright blue eyes.

"Oh! Thank you…" I trailed off, not sure if he was Aaron or Tommy.

"Aaron," he smiled. I smiled back.

"Thank you Aaron," I gave him one last smile as I started to walk away.

"Hey! Are you alright? You seemed a bit upset before you almost fell," he asked, concerned.

"Yes," I answered automatically. I took a look at the skepticism on his face and answer truthfully, "Maybe. I don't know."

"Well do you need something? Maybe I could help you…" he smiled again, showing off his cute dimples.

I couldn't help but smile back. "Um, I'm not sure. I really need a ride back to my dorm, but…"

"Say no more, I'll just get my keys and tell Tommy I'm giving you a ride. He'll probably tell Rose and Alice," he grinned.

I smiled even more. "Thanks, that would be great." His blue eyes smiled back at mine. I looked at his face and thought, he really was beautiful.

"Bella?" he asked when he caught me staring.

"Hm?" I smiled distracted. He chuckled.

"Nothing." We continued walking down the hallway, me right by his side, clutching to his arm. I didn't want to have another run-in with Mike. He smiled when he felt my hand and brought it down to his hand and entwined them. I smiled and marveled at the warmth.

"Hey, Tommy, I'm driving Bella back to her room. Can you tell Alice and Rose?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever dude," he replied distracted.

Aaron smiled at me. "You ready to go?"

I shrugged on my jacket. "Yup, let's go," I smiled back.

* * *

The ride home was interesting. We talked a lot and I was surprised to find we had a lot in common. We both had a wide range of music we enjoyed and we both liked to read. Though the classics appealed more to me, he was about adventure, mystery, and horror. Where I was clumsy, he was a skilled basketball player.

All in all, we had a great time. When it came time to leave, he walked me to my door and ran a hand down my cheek, leaving a burning trail behind. He left with a whispered "goodnight, Bella" and I went to bed, thoughts on what happened tonight with Aaron. These thoughts eventually led to what Edward said to me. I can't believe I actually thought he cared! That jerk would never care about a woman's feelings. A was a fool to think that he actually cared.

Edward Cullen, caring about me, Bella Swan? Ha! Impossible.

_I wish_ was my last thought as I drifted off to sleep.

_'Cause I am barely breathing,  
__And I can't find the air.  
__I don't know who I'm kidding,  
__Imagining you care.  
__And I could stand here waiting,  
__A fool for another day._

**Kinda a filler/introduction chapter, much like last chapter. The actual plot should start showing up soon! haha. I see this story going on for a while. Maybe 20+ chapters. I've never tried it before, so we'll see where it goes. Oh, and sorry for you guys that don't like OC's. I needed Aaron and Tommy in here for a reason, you'll find out later. haha. :)**

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	3. Reunions and a Jealous Edward

**A/N: Ah, I guess** **I can't stick to a simple schedule! Damn me. So here's chapter three, no song to go along with it. My friend Miranda helped a lot with it. Hi Miranda! She's going to co-author a story with me. :) You'll be hearing a lot about her**.

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**Disclaimer:** No, I do not own Twilight. Kinda obvious that I don't. Steph's a genius.

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Chapter Three – Reunions and a Jealous Edward.

I had a restless night of sleep. My dreams were filled with bright blue eyes and brown hair that morphed into green eyes and bronze hair. Happy already that I didn't have _that_ dream, I hummed to myself as I hopped gracelessly into the shower. Still humming as I blow-dried my hair (something I didn't do too often), I didn't notice Alice eying me with an amused expression on her face.

"What?" I asked self-consciously. Had I put my shirt on backwards? Underwear over pants…? Anything?

"Oh, nothing. You seemed to have a good time with Aaron last night, is all," she smiled.

Groaning, I replied, "It was nothing. I needed a ride home and Aaron offered. That's all." Memories of his hand trailing down my cheek made me blush. She giggled.

"But you want something to happen," she concluded.

"Yes," I blushed a harsher shad of red.

"And anyway, I heard from Edward he offered you a ride, but you declined. Any reasoning behind that?" she eyed me suspiciously.

"He's a jackass. And besides, I thought you were mad at him?"

"I still care about him."

"Ah. I see," I didn't want to get into a fight with Alice, I'd rather spend my time with her elsewhere. Suddenly, I heard Alice loudly clap her hands.

"Okay! Your birthday party! We still need to go shopping!" I groaned. The party was tonight, and everyone was invited. _Everyone._ The geeks and nerds, the jocks, even the 'queen bee', Lauren Mallory and her two cronies, Jessica and Victoria. All three we hate. They know better than to mess with Rose or Alice, but to them, I'm fair game. Rosalie and Jasper's parents own a house around this area and they were kind enough to lend it to Alice for the party. As long as she cleans up afterward, they're fine with it. Mr. and Mrs. Hale aren't your typical parents; they're insanely cool and rich. They treat their kids with respect, and like they're their friends, while still parenting them. I had to admit, Jazz and Rose were lucky.

"We're going shopping in about half an hour, so I expect you in my room in… two minutes. Got it?" she said fiercely.

"Yes, ma'am," I fake saluted, pretended to march out, awkwardly, with my sense of balance.

Five hours and twenty million some shopping bags later, we were home.

"Food!" I charged for the tiny mini-fridge we had in our room. Much to my dismay, it was completely empty except for a water bottle.

"Nuh-uh-uh!" Alice scolded. I pouted. No food? How would I survive another _six hours_ without any food?

"But Alice! I need food!" I whined, sounding like a five-year-old.

She merely smiled. "Not if you want to eat your cake, sweetie."

"Fine," I snapped. "I'm going to the café." I ran out of the room as fast as I could, looking behind me the entire time. I wasn't really going to the cafeteria, I was just trying to mess with her. Hopefully she knew that. Of course, me being me, I ran into someone and almost fell, but was caught by surprisingly familiar strong arms. Aaron.

"Oh! Th-thanks Aaron. Sorry I ran into you," I blushed.

"That's twice I've saved you from falling." He laughed. "Are you seriously that clumsy?" I opened my mouth to answer only to find that someone else did.

"Believe me, she really is." Alice. I was going. To. Kill. Her.

"Alice," My teeth were clenched. "What are you doing here?"

" Well, I couldn't let you go and eat at the _cafeteria_," she said like it was the most obvious thing. "So I brought you a bag of chips. That's all you're allowed to eat until the party. And speaking of party," She looked at Aaron. "You're coming, right Air?"

He smiled at his nickname and looked at me as he said "Definitely. Oh, and happy belated birthday, Bella. You never told me yesterday was your birthday."

I blushed. "Thank you."

"So, Bella, we have to go now and decorate!" Alice squealed and pulled me away, making sure I didn't trip.

I threw an apologizing glance at Aaron and he smiled a contagious smile. My breathe caught and I smiled back at him, he was gorgeous. I had that same stupid smile plastered on my face when we got to the Hale's house, when we were decorating, it was when it was almost time for the party that Alice started hounding me with questions.

"Bella! You've had that same silly grin on your face for hours! Tell me, what is it?" Alice was excited for some gossip.

I sighed, I didn't want her to spread around a rumor that wasn't true, something that was merely a figment of my imagination. "It's nothing. Just… just thinking about something."

"Think about something or _someone_?" she gave me a knowing look.

"Yeah," was my brilliant response. The bell suddenly rang and the cliché 'saved by the bell' fit perfectly.

I opened the door and was surprised to see Jacob Black, old-best-friend extraordinaire standing on the doorstep. He certainly did grow up from that lanky little kid that had a crush on me.

"Jacob," was all I could gasp.

"Hey, Bells. Miss me?" he smiled his trademark smile.

**(Yeah, I was going to end it right here, but I decided that was too mean. I love you all. :3 Plus, this chapter is out super late. Eek, majorly sorry about that.)**

"I… you… what? Yeah," I couldn't get out a proper sentence. When he heard me reply 'yeah,' he probably thought that was the answer to the 'miss me?' "No, no," I quickly added, "What are you _doing _here?" His smile disappeared.

"I missed you Bells, I missed my best friend. Charlie missed you too." He was playing the Charlie card.

"Awe, Jake. You know I missed you both too. You're my best friend," I tried to emphasize the last two words, "How's Forks and the Rez?"

"Good, good. Same boring thing, except," he blushed.

"What? Tell me Jake! Do you have a girlfriend or something?" I winked.

"Uhm, actually, yeah. I do," he smiled distantly.

"Awe, Jake! What's her name? She must be pretty amazing to be able to snag you," I elbowed him.

"Leah. Yeah, she _is_ amazing. You should meet her Bella! She's so beautiful, I just…" he was speechless, a good sign. He really did like this girl.

"So you're over me now?" I pouted, jokingly.

"Never," he joked back. "You're almost like my little sister, Bella." He saw my glare at 'little' so he rolled his eyes and said "Fine, _big_ sister."

"Better be, _little brother_." I smiled smugly at the two-year age difference.

Jake just rolled his eyes.

* * *

An hour or so later, with Jacob's help, the decorations were up and people were starting to come. I was lucky that Alice hadn't made me dress up. Instead, she gave me a long brown flowing skirt and a white tank top with matching sandals. I graciously thanked her and wandered around the party with Jacob, his arm around my waist in a brotherly way, stopping every so often to thank people for coming. I was about to go say hi to Edward, but noticed the under-dressed blonde clinging to his arm. He seemed happy enough, being surrounded by half-naked girls, so I let him be. No need to get mad at my own party. I saw Aaron coming towards me, two cups in hand, and took Jake's arm off of me and walked over to him.

"Hey," I smiled.

"Hey yourself," he looked over at Jake with interest. "Hey, I'm Aaron. So, uh, you Bella's boyfriend?" I looked at Aaron in shock. Jake? My _boyfriend_?

Jake just laughed. "Nah man. She's an old childhood friend. And I already have me a girl back home," Aaron looked relieved.

"Congratulations. So, Bella. Do _you_ have a boyfriend?" I laughed, he was pretty straight-forward.

"Nope. Not yet." He grinned.

"Could I do something about that?" his smile caught my breath for the millionth time today.

"That depends," I teased, "Who do you have in mind?"

"What would you say to dinner and a movie with me, say tomorrow, at six?"

I smiled, "I think I'd say sure."

He grinned. I didn't notice Jacob had given us our privacy until he moved to put an arm around my waist. "How 'bout a dance with me, birthday girl?" he whispered in my ear. My God, his voice was so alluring.

"Sure," I breathed. _Breathe, Bella, breathe. _

We swayed in time to the music while talking about little things. Aaron was so easy to talk with, to be with. I had dates and boyfriends before, but none that were as easy as my… relationship, for lack of better word, with Aaron. We could talk for hours on end and not notice. It felt like I'd known him all my life rather than a day or two. I was discussing with him how I thought it was stupid that Vanilla Ice stole the bass line from Queen's 'Under Pressure' for 'Ice Ice Baby,' claiming that the little 'ding' made such a difference. He agreed profusely.

It was then that Alice stopped the music and announced to that it was my birthday. "And here she is, the birthday babe herself, Bella!" I blushed furiously and glared at Alice. _What was she doing? _"Come on, Bells! Speech! Speech!" she began chanting, other people following her lead.

I groaned, but headed to where Alice stood in the middle of the living room, also to the middle of attention.

"Well, you all know me! Bella, yeah, my birthday was yesterday." I wasn't quite sure what to say. Thank them for coming and tell them to have a good time? "if I had my way, I wouldn't even have had this party, but you do have to admit, Alice did a great job with the house." She really did, it looked like a club on the inside, but still with the classic touch of elegance Alice always brought with her. "Thanks for coming, oh and have a great time. Cake's on the table!" I blushed more before practically running back to Jake's waiting arms.

"Oh my god," I moaned, "that was horrible!" I was mumbling into his chest.

He chuckled, "at least you didn't trip Bells! Come on, it wasn't that bad…" He smiled. I turned around and saw furious emerald eyes glaring at Jake who then locked with my wide-eyed brown ones. Edward. He was staring at me unashamedly, completely ignoring the blonde who was throwing herself at him. I blushed and turned away, disgusted that he was such a player.

"Hey Bella! Nice, uh, speech." Aaron grinned his contagious smile.

"Ha, thanks Air." Sarcasm.

"Awe, come on Bella, it was okay!" He pulled me into a hug, surprising me. We hardly knew each other but it felt _right_. I lightly squeezed him back an he moved so only one arm was around my shoulders. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prick up with the feeling of someone watching me and looked around to see Edward glaring daggers at Aaron. _If looks could kill…_ I saw a million emotions showing in his eyes, anger, confusion… jealousy? Could Edward possibly be jealous? That made me happy. He was jealous of every guy around me? I felt myself smile at the thought. _No!_ I scolded myself. I would **not** be Edward's next 'toy.' I glared back at him and he looked taken aback. I gritted my teeth to stop from marching over there and slapping him.

Dammit, Edward! It was my party and I didn't need any drama. I resisted the urge to make him more jealous, maybe jealous enough for him to leave, by kissing Aaron on the cheek. Instead, I asked Aaron to take me home.

"I'm not feeling very well." He nodded.

"Must be the cake… Let's go tell Alice."

As we left, I felt eyes on me again and turned to see Edward's confused and bewildered **(ha, Miranda!)** eyes.

* * *

**Do the usual, read, review, and MSN me if you need anything: _memoriesthatfade.likephotographs(at)hotmail(dot)com_. Thank you!**


	4. Thnks Fr Th Mmrs

**AN: Okay, firstly, my laptop's being an asshole. :( Not fun. It refuses to save to the program I currently have, so I have to use a different one, which I loathe. **

**Secondly, I will try my best to end this story before the end of November comes around.  
My friend Miranda, ha, she's almost like my beta. She reads the chapters before release, gives an opinion (she always says good things, but she's biased) and gives some suggestions.**

**I have no idea how she comes up with these things, they're so brilliant. She's wonderful.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Seriously? I don't own _Twilight_. Dang.

* * *

Chapter Four – Thnks Fr Th Mmrs.

When I woke the next day I found I really _was_ sick; stuffed up nose, throbbing head, and a scratchy throat. All symptoms of the common cold. Though I insisted I was fine, Aaron refused to leave.

"But you're sick, Bella. At least let me make you some soup!" he made sad little puppy eyes at me.

I started shaking my head. "No."

"Well then!" he pretended to walk out, but snagged an arm around my waist and threw me over his shoulder, taking me to his car and carefully buckling me in.

"Was that really necessary? Where are you taking me?" I huffed. I really didn't like being picked up.

"Back to my house," he stated simply.

"And what are we going to _do_ at your house?" I blushed at the double meaning.

He grinned, "I'm going to make you soup, then we can watch some movies together. Tom won't be home all day, he's out bowling or something."

* * *

So there he was, standing in his kitchen, clad in a "Kiss the Cook" apron, Campbell's chicken noodle soup can in hand, and a confused look on his face.

"What's wrong Air-Bear?" I smiled.

He frowned, his eyebrows furrowed. "I don't know how to cook this! Damn can, how the hell am I supposed to get it out?"

I laughed, covering it with a cough when he stared at me incredulously. I went to his utensil rack standing by the stove and pulled out a can opener, making show of it and its use to Aaron.

"Wha-? How?"

I giggled. "Can opener, you know, that thing you use to open _cans_?"

He frowned even more. "Coming from the girl that can't walk in a straight line," he muttered.

"Hey! I happen to be fairly good in the kitchen, thank you very much," I pouted.

"Awe, I'm kidding Bells."

He started to walk toward me then, as if to hug me. Of course, that's when my nose decided it wanted to sneeze.

Three times.

I groaned and looked up, expecting to see Aaron looking grossed out.

He wasn't.

Instead, he chuckled, and said "Why don't you go to my bed, and bundle yourself up in pillows and blankets? I'll be up in a minute with your soup and we can watch some movies together. How does that sound?"

This boy was unbelievable. I just almost sneezed in his face and he was offering to not only cook for me, but to cuddle up and watch a movie together?

I smiled, "sure."

His room was surprisingly clean, and was black trimmed with silver and gold. His sheets were warm and smelled amazing, just like him. I snuggled in, half the pillows under my head, staring at his posters and thinking. I felt him come I before I heard him. He put the bowl of soup on the night stand and bounced onto the bed.

I coughed.

"Hey," my voice was raspier now.

His eyebrow furrowed slightly, "Hey. Eat your soup." He nodded to the bowl.

I gladly complied, savoring the feel of the warm soup run down my throat.

He got up and put in Meet the Parents.

* * *

Three movies, a box of tissues, and a million laughs later, I found myself on Aaron's bed, him laying on his couch in a deep sleep. Confused, I looked at the clock. The red blinking "1:00 AM" mocked me. I jumped up in a hurry, accidentally falling on Aaron.

"Huh! What?" He looked around, grasping his stomach where I landed.

"Aaron! I have to go home! It's 1:00 AM! Alice, she… She's probably worried! Oh shit, oh shit." I was panicking.

"Shush, Bella. It's okay, I left a note for Alice. You can call her and tell her you fell asleep. It's okay," He rubbed my arms up and down, leaving a tingling feeling.

He called her and she said it would be better if I stayed the night. Apparently, Jasper was there, and I had no intention of listening to the two love birds.

So I laid back on the bed. After a few minutes of trying to fall asleep, I gave up.

"Air?"

"Hm?" he mumbled

"Are you awake?"

"Mhm."

"I can't sleep," I whined.

"Ngh. C'm 'ere," he sat up and motioned his hands toward me.

I sat down on the couch with him, into his arms.

"Hm. What's your favorite color?"

I blinked. That wasn't what I expected.

"Um, green," _Like Edward's eyes. _I blushed.

He didn't notice. "What's your middle name?"

"Marie, and yours?"

"Jamie," He mumbled. I smiled. _Aaron Jamie Hayes._

"Any childhood pets?"

"Fish – I gave up on pets after 3 in a row died."

He chuckled. "Same. Though, I did have a dog, Sammie. She died – she was having seizures."

"Awe! I'm sorry, Air-Bear."

He laughed, "It's okay, Bella. I'm well over it, it was seven years ago. Favorite bands?"

"Oh, that's a toughie. The Police, AC/DC, Lifehouse, The Academy Is…, and John Mayer."

"Really? Mine are Zeppelin, Death Cab, The Academy Is…, Motion City Soundtrack."

I smiled at looked at him. His eyes were closed and he was sporting a beautiful smile on his face. He wasn't anything to Edward, but he _was_ still sort of beautiful.

"What's your family like?" I questioned.

"Well, I guess you could say I had a nice childhood; I have two older brothers; Mike and Josh. They're 8 years older than me and are twins, so I never really got to hang out with them. My dad's a military man, so we've always been moving. He retired from 26+ years a few years ago. My mom died when I was 7, Tommy was 5, and he took it the hardest. Mike and Josh were 15. That's about when they started to ignore us, so Tommy was my best friend until I thought I was all 'cool and older' when I was 12. He's been my best friend since." He snuck a look at me. "What about your family? I don't know much about you at all."

I winced slightly. This time he noticed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me, I mean, if you don't want to."

"No, no. It's fine, just a sensitive area. I've been needing to get this off of my chest for a while."

I took a deep breath and began.

"Emmett's my twin brother, older by a minute. We're like this," I crossed my fingers, showing that we were extremely close. "He's very over-protective of me. Charlie, my dad, is a cop in Forks. Renee…she left us after… 'the accident.'"

He gave me a questioning look.

"I had a younger brother… Tommy. He was three and I was seven when… When he got hit by a drunk driver. I was babysitting him, and he was playing in the street. Our neighborhood was actually a nice place to live; kids playing in the road wasn't something that was uncommon. I remember, I was so mad at him, he wouldn't listen. So I just left him alone. It was my fault."

I laughed, unhappily. I wiped at the tears falling down my cheeks.

"Renee was never the same, neither was Charlie. She couldn't handle Me and Em after Tommy died. Charlie got stuck with us, and basically ignored us. He loved us, but I think it was too much to handle after the death of his little boy. A few years later, Alice and Edward moved in next door with Esme and Carlisle, their parents. Carlisle was going to send them to here for boarding school, and paid for Em and me to go. Charlie gladly complied, naturally. Alice has been my best friend since, and Edward… Well, Edward's Edward. We used to be friends, pretty close friends, actually, but now, we just basically ignore each other, it's an unwritten rule to hate each other."

I sighed, glad I got that off. Aaron crushed me into his chest, and rubbed my back up and down.

"I'm so sorry, Bells. That must be a lot for you to deal with."

We stayed like that until I fell asleep. Some part of me felt him carry me to the bed and cover me.

I rolled over and sighed.

"Thanks, Air."

"Anytime, Bells," he kissed my forehead.

* * *

"_Bella!"_

"_Edward? What are you doing here?" What was he doing in my room, my _bathroom_? Why was I home?_

"_Waiting for you, silly. Hey... meet me in the tree house, five minutes."_

"_Sure."_

_I was walking in slow motion, a fog around me. When I got to Edward's back yard, I jumped into his tree house._

"_Hey Bells."_

"_Eddie-kins." I was the only one allowed to get away with calling him that_

_He smiled. Walked over to me._

_Took my face in his hands. Kissed me, slowly. Tenderly._

_When we pulled apart, it wasn't green eyes I saw, it was Aaron's blue eyes._

I started awake. Aaron woke me up by kissing me.

I smiled, still a little groggy. _What was up with that dream?_

Stretching, I mumbled, "What's for breakfast, kid?"

* * *

_I'm gonna make you bend and break.  
Say your prayer, but let the good times roll  
In case God doesn't show.  
And I want these words to make things right.  
But it's the wrongs that make the words come to life,  
Who does he think he is?  
If that's the worst you've got, better put your fingers back to the keys_

_One night and one more time  
__**Thanks for the memories  
Even though they weren't so great**  
He tastes like you only sweeter._

* * *

**Hope you liked the fluff! ha, I love Aaron. I just wanna hug him. :)**

**Blah. Review? It encourages faster updates! :) haha.**

**Does anyone have any requests for one-shots? I'll do something, as I have major writers block.**


	5. Back In Time, Part One

**A/N: Yay! Chapter five. :) Sorry if you got a chapter update alert; I uploaded the wrong file, thinking that I finished this, but I really didn't. I didn't get many reviews, but that's understandable, seeing as I suck at updating and the last chapter, well, it sucked too. I decided to update because I'm already online playing FFR (flashflashrevolution.) Anyone who has ever played will probably tell you that it's extremely addicting. :) Anyway, I understand that you guys had a lot of questions concerning this story. I can answer a few, but the rest will be answered in the following chapters.**

**MickeyandMinnie – This chapter with help you understand more of the Edward/Bella relationship in this story. As for him 'hating' Bella, but being jealous, he _tries_ to hater her, _thinks _he hates her, but he doesn't. And Bella dreams about him because of their previous relationship; despite the fact that they hate each other. Plus, she didn't want to hate Edward, it just sort of happened when Edward decided to hate her. As to why, I'll get to that later in the story. Ha, thanks for the questions & hope that helped.**

**evernightforcast – ha, I feel exactly the same way. I love Edward/Bella's, but if I'm reading a non-canon, then I'm torn. I was reading this great fanfic by _ColourPearl _called 'As Long As You're Mine,' and I was torn between Edward/Bella and Jasper/Bella. **

**Oh, and btw, I recommend reading ALAYM and ALAYH by _ColourPearl_. :)**

**vampiregirl26 – glad you liked the chapter! Yeah, those bands are some of my favorites too. And of course I know Tokio Hotel! :) I love Billy, haha.**

**Anyway, sorry in advance for any typos. See bottom A/N for more information.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Twilight isn't mine. But Aaron is. :) So is his nickname (_Air-Bear, that's me!_)Oh, and so are the tracksuits mentioned in this chapter, only mine's green. And the others are blue and purple. So Ha! Song lyrics by _Eiffel 65._

* * *

Chapter 5 – Back in Time; Part One.

After a fantastic bowl of cereal for breakfast, Aaron drove me home. We talked about little things here and there (_cats or dogs? Winter or summer? Trees or flowers?_) He probably didn't want to upset me again, not after my confession last night.

Alice must have been filled in, and didn't hound me with questions when I got home. All I got was a fake-cheerful "Hey, Bella!" as I walked to my closet for my tracksuit (Alice didn't let me buy any sweats, but insisted on buying us matching tracksuits – pink for her, blue for me, red for Rose.)

I smiled back at her with a "Hey Alice," and just laid on my bed, thinking.

Sometime later, though, Alice came in with her tracksuit on, Rose following suit. They handed me a bowl of ice cream and we collapsed in front of the TV watching sappy romantic comedies. We laid on our stomachs on pillows covered with blankets. There was a particularly sappy seen when the lead girls were crying over their friendship, and how lucky they were to have each other.

We were crying too, and at the same time, laughing. Suddenly, like completely out of nowhere, Alice pulls on a serious face.

"Bella, you need to tell us what happened – I'm dying here."

I sighed, glanced at Rosalie to see a similar expression.

"You're definitely going to hate me, since I told Aaron before you two. You all will be the only ones to know, excluding Emmett, Charlie, and Phoenix…" And I told them my story; they were intent on listening. I spoke to them for a while, including details that I left out from Aaron; the funeral, Charlie and Renee's fight, moving. The divorce. By the time I finished, tears were streaming down my face and Alice's and Rosalie's faces were pulled into a heartbreaking expression, tears also flowing freely.

They hugged me fiercely, murmuring that it was all right, not my fault.

When we broke apart, I looked down to the floor, not daring to look at their faces; I didn't want pity, and if they were angry, I didn't want to see that either.

"Are you mad at me?" my voice was barely above a whisper.

"What? Why would we be mad at you, Bella?" Alice sounded surprised.

I looked up and replied, "I told Aaron before you two," I motioned with my hands. "Usually, that's not a very good idea; Aaron and I aren't even 'officially' dating… yet."

Alice seemed to be searching my eyes for something. Whether she found it or not remained unknown, though, because she quickly looked away.

"Well, I suppose it's fine this time. Who knows when you would have told us if Aaron hadn't started it?"

I laughed, this time it was a happy sound. They were taking this really well.

My giggles brought a fresh round of giggles from my gorgeous best friends. Alice fell to the floor laughing hard and Rose was clutching her stomach.

"Ugh," I groaned, smiling. "My cheeks hurt!"

"I'll show you hurt," Rose suddenly attacked my face and chest with a pillow that she pulled out of nowhere.

"PILLOW FIGHT!" Alice shouted under the blankets she was hiding under.

I threw a pillow at her, causing her to shriek, "Oh, no, you di-in't Bell-a!"

I giggled, "Oh yes, I did, Al-ice!"

I ran and hid under my bed when I saw her and Rose gang up on me, at least six pillows in hands.

I covered my eyes with my hands, and when I finally peeked, I screamed.

Alice and Rose were just laying there, an amused expression on their faces, looking at me cowardly hiding under the massive bed.

"Having fun, Bella?" Rose cooed smiling.

"I, erm. Yup. TONS of fun. You're really missing out, y'know? I just found…" I looked around under me, "OH! I just found that old green shirt I was looking for. Look, see Alice? I'm wearing it!" I knew this would peeve her off.

"Bella! That hasn't been washed since god knows how long ago! Take it off. Now!"

"Uh-uh." I protested like a five-year-old.

"Take it off or we'll take it off for you," Rose threatened.

"I'd like to see you try. You know, it's really spacey down here, I could stay here for a while," I put my hands behind my head, closing my eyes.

Next thing I knew, Rosalie and Alice had me out of the bed, stripping me down to just my underwear.

"COLD! What the hell!" I tried covering myself more.

"Nope, Bella. It's nothing we haven't seen before," Alice smiled.

"Alice! Pl-" I was cut off by Edward walking in the door mumbling something about 'never picking up the damn phone,' and 'stupid little sister.'

"OH!" He exclaimed when he saw the predicament I was in.

"Calm down, Edward. It's nothing you haven't seen before, right?" I raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to object. We both knew that I was talking about his player status. His green eyes glared at me and I glared right back at him. His gaze suddenly softened. He seemed to be looking for something in my eyes. I glanced down before he had a chance to find whatever he was looking for. I looked back to his face and it was a stone mask; completely emotionless.

"Yeah. But I haven't seen it in a while, Bella. You'd know this," he continued staring at me, bringing back memories of our childhood together. I blushed.

"Pish-posh," Alice clucked her tongue. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"What? I can't visit my sister every once and a while?" Alice just stared at him. "Okay, fine. It _would_ help if you would answer your phone; I've been trying to call for at least half an hour! I have something important to tell you…"

I wandered into the closet to change, a new set of clothes in my hands. Humming slightly to myself, I dressed. I looked at the mirror, analyzing myself. Edward was right; we hadn't seen each other in a while. But it _was_ his fault.

It was _him_, afterall, that ditched me for some 'cool older kids' as soon as we got to APA.

It was also _him _that teased me for my 'overwhelming dullness and clumsiness.'

It wasn't him that helped me through my first week here.

And it wasn't him that let me cry on his shoulder when the nightmares got tough; no it was Alice. She let me and never even questioned what it was about. She just let me cry.

I must have been in the closet for a while because the next thing I knew, Alice was shrieking at me to open the door

"Bell-aaa! Come on! I have something important to tell you!" She was pounding on the door.

I opened the door and Alice continued pounding for a few seconds before realizing that it wasn't the door she was hitting, but me.

"Oh! Sorry," she giggled.

I sighed, "What is it Alice?"

"Edward got us tickets to go see Maroon 5!"

My mouth fell open and I looked over to Edward for confirmation. He simply nodded, his trademark crooked smile in place. But it was wrong. It didn't reach his eyes. I looked back at Alice and Rose who were jumping up and down, doing the happy dance. I smiled as well, but I'm pretty sure it looked fake, as Edward threw me a questioning glance. He could always read my face well. A worried look flashed in his emerald eyes, but was soon returned to the hard emotionless glaze.

"What? Where? When? _How?_" I looked to the three of them for answers.

Edward, being the cryptic asshole he is, merely says, "San Diego. Next weekend. And I have my ways."

Cryptic or not, Alice decided to go on a shopping trip for the concert. Knowing what would come if I argued, I just agree and leave her to it. At least I get to go see Maroon 5!

* * *

_That night, I dreamed of the concert. Adam Levine sang songs from _Songs About Jane._ I danced and swayed to the music, then suddenly, I felt hands on my waist. Turning around, I face Edward. But this Edward is the old Edward. He has that same boyish grin on his face, and an unreadable expression in his eyes._

"_Bella," he whispers and drags a hand down my cheek. And even in my dream, I blushed 5 shades of red._

"_Bella, I…" he was cut off by the sound of my alarm clock beeping rather loudly._

I got dressed for school, not at all happy that the three day weekend was over.

"BELLA! Come _on_! We've got to get to school!" Alice whined, knocking on the bathroom door.

* * *

_Here in the open space, where nothing  
__Seems to move at all.  
__I can run this race back in time,  
__From the world I can hide.  
__Here in the open space where something,  
__Seems to float and not fall.  
__I can feel the madness slow down,  
__I'm the master of time; back in time,  
__In my time all the time. Up and down  
__Every time I'm flying. Back in time,  
__In my time one more time._

* * *

**AKFJALKHF. !! My laptop's about to die and I just broke the charger, so I'm updating; expect this to be the last in a little while, unless I get money to buy a new charger. I'll still be able to reply and get online through library computers, but I can't really write with weird creepy dude looking at me. Aha, hope you liked this half of the chapter, the other half will be up ASAP.**


	6. Back In Time, Part Two

**A/N: Yay! My dad decided to buy me a new charger. :) Soo happy! Anyway, in celebration, here's Back In Time, Part 2! I hope you enjoy it. :) Oh, and I have a snow day too! That's what happens when you live in the north country, ha. ;)**

**I wrote this while sitting in front of my fireplace, watching Pride & Prejudice (Keira Knightley Version) while eating Doritos and Cheez-its, and drinking Fanta,. Ah, pigging out much? Thank you guys for being so patient! I'll be writing more often and longer from now on; I just got a lot cleared from my schedule. :)**

**So anyway, enough about me! Onto Bella's story in the Bridges Universe.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Everybody knows I don't own Twilight, right? Got it? Good. :)

* * *

Chapter Six – Back In Time: Part 2

Luckily, it was something that was comfortable… yet stylish. A pair of khaki shorts, a dark blue t-shirt, and matching blue flip-flops. I looked in the mirror to check that everything was good, my hair not the haystack it was this morning and my clothes not wrinkled. Alice chose my clothes well this morning, but I didn't get a chance to look at them before my shower. Looking at it now, it was something that was comfortable… yet stylish. A pair of khaki shorts, a dark blue t-shirt, and matching blue flip-flops. As soon as Alice saw me dressed in the clothes she laid out, she skipped to the cafeteria, throwing a "hurry up Bella!" over her shoulder.

Grabbing my books and bag, I walked out of the room.

Just when I checked my watch, some random chick came up and bumped into my shoulder, dropping all my books in the process.

I huffed, "Really?"

I heard a velvet laugh and turned to see Edward. He had a hint of playfulness in his eyes and an amazing crooked smile on his face. He must have been suffering from some weird mood swings; wasn't it just _yesterday_ that he seemed miserable? And then today, completely out of now where, he's smiling and laughing at me? Damn dumb-a.

All my thinking ceased, however, when he looked directly and deeply in my eyes.

"You still haven't outgrown your clumsiness, I see, Isabella," he teased.

I snorted, a good heavy sound. "Obviously not, Eddie."

Instead of reacting angrily, like he would at hearing his 'nickname,' he just laughed.

I bent down to pick up my books but he was ahead of me, books in hand in a neat pile by the time I stood upright. I sighed, "What do you want, Edward?"

"What? Can't I just say hi to an old friend and carry books for her?"

I snorted again. "No. Not when you've hardly talked to her in what, four years?"

"I talked to you last night, didn't I?"

"No. No you did not. That hardly counts as a conversation."

"And what, pray tell, makes a conversation, a conversation?" He looked at me raising one eyebrow, urging me to continue.

"Each participant speaking more that, what, four sentences? And having a real issue to talk about. And probably not one-word answers or questions. We haven't communicated in years, Eddie. Admit it."

His green eyes visibly darkened, became sadder and somewhat angry. "Constantly talking isn't necessarily communicating."

I glowered and the light came back into his eyes. Seeming satisfied at my change in mood, he walked away, his graceful long legs taking him across campus.

But before he left, he shouted one thing.

"Miss you, treehouse buddie!"

* * *

"Nurghh," I moaned once I got home, a ton of books in my bag and binders in my hand. The week passed by slowly. Too slowly for my liking. Every class seemed to drag by slowly. My week was made all that much better by seeing Edward daily and not seeing Aaron at all. I kept putting off calling him saying he was just out of town, or something. Alice burst into the room, an uncharacteristic frown on her face.

"Why do teachers have to give out so much homework? I mean, do they _have_ a death wish?" Alice whined.

"Dun-know. Just get ready so we can go get Jazz and Em."

"Nuh-uh, Bella. I'll get ready when I_ want _to get ready!" Her voice rang out, a serious expression on her face and her small hands on her petite waist.

I was almost fooled. Until she started giggling.

"Jeez, Bells. You're such a pushover, sometimes. I love you!" She hugged me and skipped out into the hallway.

"Ohhh-kay." I threw on a hoodie and some white tennis shoes and tried to walk out the door without Alice noticing.

"Bella," she frowned disapprovingly.

"Fine," I pouted.

Walking back in, I got on a pair of skinny jeans, white flats, and a plain blue tee. I even put on a white beaded necklace, just for the heck of it. Alice would approve. I walked back out, twirling around, showing her my outfit.

"Good," was all she said.

I laughed and followed her out the double doors to Jazz's dorm room.

Jasper's room was the basically the same as ours, only it was a two-bed. He shared it with Edward as Emmett had a 'girlfriend to entertain.' Being Rose's brother, he didn't want to see Emmett feeling Rose up and vice versa for Rose with Emmett in our room. Instead, Em got a single room, as most everybody was scared of him and his big-bear exterior.

"Hey Jazz!" Alice sang.

"Hey babe. Bella," he nodded to me, grabbing Alice around the waist.

He suddenly look nervous. "Um, Bella… Edward's going to the movie…"

I blinked. "What?"

"Edward… he's going… y'know… to the movie?" He made it sound like a question.

"Why?"

"Uh, he asked to come?"

"And you said yes?"

"No… _I_ didn't," he looked accusingly at Alice.

"Alice!"

"Bella, it's just one movie. Besides, it won't be _that_ bad," she looked slightly panicked at my angry outburst.

"Fine," I said through clenched teeth.

"I'm going to go get Em."

I cleared my face of any emotion and walked out to Emmett's dorm, seething the entire way.

I barged into his room practically shouting "Come on Em! We need to–"

Until I took in the sight before me; Emmett in his boxer shorts and Rose half naked, hair a mess.

"I – Oh! Sorry!" I rushed out of the door and ran, ignoring the shouts Emmett and Rosalie were throwing at me. I realized that I unconsciously ran back to Jasper's dorm when I arrived there to find them gone.

Edward, however was still there, his back towards where I was standing with my back against the door. I watched him move around the apartment, completely unaware of me there, watching him.

Suddenly, he turned around. Once he caught my eye, he smirked.

"Enjoying the show, Bella?"

"I – oh, yeah. Definitely, Edward." He just laughed. "Well… carry on, Eddie. Don't mind me, I'm just waiting for Jazz and Alice to get back."

"Oh. They didn't tell you? Em and Rose just canceled – it's just you and me now. How's that sound, old friend?" His old smile, my favorite crooked grin, made an appearance for the first time in five years.

I sighed, "Well, let's get going, tree-house buddy."

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**So Snow Days are amazing; expect a _lot_during December-April. I love snow! Anyway, I've got to go shovel the sidewalk. Luckily my dad has a plow on his truck, so I don't have to shovel my huge driveway! Haha.**

**Anyway, you know what to do! **

**Review and I might just update. :)**


	7. Consider It Spilled

**A/N: Kudos to the kids that caught that reference to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind last chapter. I love you guys. :3**

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**Disclaimer: **Nothing is owned.

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Chapter Seven – Consider It Spilled.

"So I've decided to spill it; the beans, the juice, my guts… Whatever you want to call it, consider it spilled. Up to this point, I feel like I've done an excellent job of keeping just about everything true about myself, to myself… and for good reason – what people don't know, people can't use against you."  
- Alexander W. Gaskarth of All Time Low

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On the long walk to the theater, Edward and I…well, we caught up. Apparently, he was taking the same AP classes as I was.

"So, what do you need those credits for? I mean, what area of college?" I asked, curious.

He looked thoughtful before answering, "Well, as you know, it's my dream to become a pianist… but since _that_ won't happen anytime soon, I'm going into the medical field… like Carlisle."

"Hm," I thoughtfully said, "Why do you want to be a doctor?"

He sighed, as if he didn't think his reason was adequate, "Why does anyone want to be anything? A kid to be a fireman? A little girl to be a say-at-home-soccer mom? I wanna help people; give them a reason to live, because maybe, they wouldn't have had a chance to live without my help."

He looked up at me again to read my face and continued, "My dream to be a pianist… sure, that'd be nice _for me_… maybe a few other people, but for the most part, it wouldn't be helping anyone else. Just me, my happiness. Compared to a doctor, me becoming a musician would be selfish."

I was stunned. "Selfish? It'd be anything but. Didn't Esme teach to you anything?"

He shook his head, confused, "What do you mean?"

"Well, aren't parents supposed to tell you that you can do whatever you want to when you grow up? I mean… my dad did. Renee did too, when she was still around. I would think that Esme would want you to be doing whatever it is that you want to do… she'd want you to be your happiest."

He thought back for a moment and responded with a, "Yes. Of course she did… but I think she was just playing along. I mean, what kind of ten-year-old goes around saying that they want to be a pianist when they grow up? Yes, she'd want me to be my happiest… but I think I should probably do something… productive, I guess."

"So everything that you do, in school, is for your parents' benefit? Edward, they don't care what you do! They just want you do be happy. Just be who you want to be, do what _you_ want to do."

This wasn't the cocky, jerk-Edward that had been here for the past couple of years. This wasn't even the young Edward that I was still in love with. _This_ was a completely new Edward. An Edward that wanted to do what he thought was best for the people around him, instead of making himself happy and his family happy. Only, he didn't realize that not doing what he wanted to do was going to end up hurting both him and his family if he wasn't truly happy.

The rest of the short walk was quiet, in an awkward way. I tried to make sense of the emotions swirling around me. I was undeniably confused, baffled by Edward's behavior. One second, he'd be a complete jerk, and then, like a switch, he'd be the charming, old Edward. He could say the most amazing things, and then snap at me with a smart-ass retort. What was up with him?

I was brought out of my thoughts by Edward grabbing my elbow, and I ignored the tingling it sent through my arm. "We're here Bella," he said, his voice rough with some emotion. His face was in a hard mask, covering his emotions. I just nodded to him.

"Two tickets, please," he said, oh-so charmingly.

I could tell the girl at the counter was dazzled by the way she stuttered a, "O-okay. Here you go, sir. Enjoy the show."

I shook my head, hiding my laughter. I glanced up feeling Edward's questioning gaze and just shook my head covering my mouth with my hand.

He just smirked. I was starting the think that maybe Edward hadn't changed... maybe he was still the old Edward.

The movie was stupid. During the opening credits, a fight broke out between two guys and one was in a coma. When a guy, ironically, by the name of Tom got hit by a car, I stood up abruptly.

Edward looked at me alarmed. "Bathroom," I mouthed. He nodded and took the tub of popcorn. I didn't miss the concerned look that crossed his face before the façade was back.

I quickly made my way to the nicely-cleaned restroom. Checking quickly to see that all the stalls were empty, I leaned against the cold counter, silently crying.

I still hadn't gotten over Tommy's untimely death, and I feared I never would. Confessing did help a part of me overcome the circling emotions. Yes, it did. However, part of me was still grieving. I was still believing that it was my fault. But... maybe, just maybe, I couldn't have saved Tommy? Maybe it really wasn't my fault, then, if I could do nothing to save him.

_But you could've made sure he was out of the street._

_That neighborhood was extremely safe! Who knew Tyler Crowley would come plowing down it – drunk?_

_Still, _you_ were babysitting him, you should have done something... bring him inside, watch a movie._

_Yes, yes. It _is _my fault._

_And now you've hurt Renee more severely than anyone else has – congratulations. You made her run away._

_Well, she always was a flighty one, mom was..._

And now I'm in the restroom, thinking to myself. Brilliant, Bella. Absolutely brilliant.

I took a swift glance at the mirror and saw my eyes were puffed up and red. I rubbed them with cold water and hoped it would die down by the time the movie let out.

I half-consciously walked back in the theater, following the lighted aisle down to my seat in the middle of the room. I expected Edward to be there, yes. But I did _not _expect to see Edward there macking with some blonde. I stood there, fuming, for a few moments ignoring the 'Hey! Sit Down's my standing position was attracting and waited for Edward and the blonde to realize I was there. After a few moments, I gave up sighing, and stomped out.

I almost stopped as I heard Edward call out for me to stop. Almost.

_He's a player... you should have known that he would do this._

_Yeah, but... he was starting to act... decent. Like old Edward used to act._

_Yeah. _Acting_. He was just showing you his _act_._

"Bella! Bella, wait up!" Edward was jogging up to me.

I sped up my pace.

"Jesus, Bella. Stop!" he huffed.

I spun around, "What do you want, Edward."

He grinned, "Why are you running away from me?"

"Perhaps you forgot that you were macking with some bimbo while I was at the bathroom?" My teeth clenched.

"No. I didn't forget. Why... are you... _jealous_?" he teased.

"No! I'm not jealous. You're such a freaking a," I shouted.

"I think you're jealous, Bella."

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"I'm not going to have this conversation with you, Edward. Just go back to your whore or something."

Normally, I wasn't one to swear... But Edward just brought out these angry feelings in me.

It was silent for a moment, thankfully, as we walked back to our dorm rooms. It gave me a moment to think. That is until Edward mumbled, "I still think you're jealous."

Then I snapped and whirled around to face him.

"What?! Why the _hell_ would I be jealous, Edward? Because some girl was skanky enough to try and get into your pants? Yeah, right. I'm absolutely, totally jealous of that slut. I'm glad you think so highly of me, Edward," my breath was coming out in angry gasps.

"Bella," I turned from him.

"Bella." He grabbed my shoulders and turned me.

"What."

"I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it that way," He apologized with his eyes pleading with me.

I got lost in his green eyes for a second before I shook it off.

"Yeah. Whatever, Edward." I stomped away, or tried to, at least. I stumbled, face first, into the pavement, only to be caught by familiar warm arms.

I moaned, "Ugh. Edward, get off of me."

He wasn't moving, and was succeeding in pissing me off.

"Edward," I snapped, "Get the hell off of me!" I was rewarded with a chuckle that obviously didn't belong to Edward and looked up.

"Aaron?" I hadn't seen him all week and, out of nowhere, here he is. Saving me again.

"Hey there, Bella," he smiled his dimpled grin. I got lost in his blue eyes, as if nothing had happened. It was like we could stay staring at each other for forever. When my brown met his blue, time stopped. I knew other people existed, but he was the only one I cared about. Maybe it wasn't love, but it was sure as hell close to it.

"Aaron!" I jumped and hugged him, making him take a few steps back in order to not fall.

He laughed as he put his arms around me, "Bella."

Then I did something I hadn't expected that I would do. I kissed him. Mind you, I'm beyond shy. I lack the skills to connect to most people. Making eye contact with anyone I didn't know would be a big enough feat for me. Kissing him, therefore, is huge. Huge enough to embarrass me beyond belief.

"Oh. My. Gosh," was all I whispered as I ran away.

I had no idea why I kissed – only that it seemed to be right at that moment. There wasn't any 'spark,' but it was actually... really nice.

I was suddenly brought out of my thoughts as the same familiar arms wrapped around me, twisting me around, and crushing their lips to mine.

"Why," was all he asked.

"Why what?" I looked at his face, wishing his eyes would open.

Then, as if he heard my thoughts, his lids lifted, revealing those blue orbs. "Why'd you run away from me?"

I hid my face in his shoulder. I felt him shake lightly as he laughed, "Bella." I just shook my head.

"Bella," he pulled me away from his body. "Please don't hide from me. I want to be able to see your face. Now, why'd you run away from me?"

I looked away from him, "I was embarrassed."

He chucked, "I'm sorry. I didn't catch that. Could you speak up?"

I huffed, "I was embarrassed."

He laughed even more, "Did you seriously just stomp your foot? And why are you embarrassed?"

I felt my eyebrows scrunch up on their own accord, "I didn't know if you'd enjoy it or not... I'm not exactly experienced in this... area."

Cue blush.

"Well, it really was... enjoyable," he grinned, "In fact, I think that I may just have to call a repeat of that performance."

I blushed harder. "I might just have to take you up on that."

He leaned down to kiss me again but just as I closed my eyes, someone cleared their throat. Edward.

"Yes, Edward?" Aaron asked, looking slightly irritated.

I rose an eyebrow as he said, "I need to talk to you, Bella."

"Talk," I motioned with my hands.

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow, "Alone."

"Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of Aaron," I tapped my foot lightly.

"I _am_ her boyfriend, dude," Aaron piped in. I smiled lightly at him, hearing that I was his girlfriend.

Edward cleared his throat again. "Anyway... Alice called while you were in the bathroom... she needs to talk to you. ASAP."

"And why didn't you tell me this earlier?" I scowled.

"I forgot," was his brilliant response.

"Fine. Let's go, Aaron," I grabbed his hand and walked away.

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The walk home was... nice. We held hands and talked about, well, everything really. Everything we hadn't already talked about. When we got back to my dorm, Alice was no where to be found. I wasn't freaked out, though, because I knew she probably went to Jasper's. Sure enough, we found a note taped to my laptop saying she would see me in the morning. After kissing me goodnight, Aaron left, lingering for a few seconds. I smiled at the memory and pulled on my pajamas. We made plans to do the classic dinner and a movie date tomorrow night after school.

Aaron was a really amazing guy, I knew I was lucky to have him. Sure, I knew that this was just a relationship, and it probably wouldn't last for more than a few months, a year or two at most, but I was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

And hopefully, I wouldn't be too heartbroken if – when – it ended.

Lord knows, I've had enough heartbreak for a lifetime.

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**Nah, not my best chapter. Anyway, review? :)**


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